One of my all time favorite breeds is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Not only are they incredibly sweet, but they are one of the most compact and muscular dogs around. When I look at a Staffie, I say to myself “Now that is one fine specimen of a dog.”

The Dog Guide was fortunate enough to get an interview with a long time Staffordshire Bull Terrier expert. We hope you enjoy it.

i am looking an owing a staffie bull terrior, but i am wondering if they are also a dog who will protect their family if it came to it? i have a wife and two young kids who are home without me alot and would feel more comfortable knowing they were safe. i have read these dogs are very friendly but will they protect? anyone who can answer please feel free to email me. sean_p153@hotmail.com thankyou

Sean, Satffies are not guard dogs and weren’t made to be such. If you want a good guard dog that is family friendly, get an Akita or German Shephard and make sure it is properly trained and socialized. It will protect your family to its death if it has to. Staffies can certainly do a lot of damage to an intruder, but you don’t want that dog trained to do that. Akitas know the difference, and require little enticement to protect its loved ones, yet remain loyal, devoted and gentle family members who are very leary of strangers. Staffies love everybody, and should be allowed to maintain that wonderful characteristic.

the best family pet and gaurd dog in one is the lab!! they are awsome mine is the best hes a loving amazing pet but at night he prtects the house for dear life and i also have a staffy called steph hehe she is black n white and shes a big softy i cant stand people making them fight and buying them jsut so they can look hard it makes me sick

i have a staffie, his name is ROCKY it was the the best decision i have ever made in my life to adopt him, he is very loyal to me, he has never shown any viviousness towards anyone, he plays with all the kids in my neighborhood, and he is also the center of attention everywhere we go, people just love to come up to me & ask about him, and i tell them the truth, you will never regret owning this breed of dog, trust me.

I have one and she is the best pet i ever have had. This is the most adorable non aggressive dog i have ever been around. Loves kids and anyone else and loves to sleep! Sbt stands for silent but deadly (looking) my dog rarely barks.

i dont no how people can say bout staffy’s i got 2 1 bitch and a 14 week old dog, there just loving animals, i cant go anywere with out being followed i will never have any other dog now i have had a staffy they trully r a amazing breed of dog!

I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. We recently adopted a blue staffordshire terrier. We have a lab and a pit mix. She is about one and a half and she is like a comment said a bomb ready to fire. We rescued her in the hopes that she would have a better life. She had already had a litter of pups and was found roaming the streets. She has the most amazing attitude and just wants to be loved. We wouldn’t change her attitude for anything. She is getting along well with our other dogs. If anyone has any advice please let us know. We are crate training her as we did with our others. I know this sounds funny but does anyone else experience the whole “gotta find the perfect pooping spot”

Tonight,myself and my labrador pup were attacked by this breed/staffie,only for me to suffer injury to hands and legs.This staffie was with its owner,off a lead.Their origins were a breed for hunting,and they still cannot be trusted with other pets or humans.They should be banned from this country – its well overdue.

We LOVE the breed. We dress ours in tutus and hair bows and he tolerates sooo much from us. He sleeps in my 4 year olds room everynight. Its nice going to bed with peace knowing our dog will protect our children. The BEST breed ever!

I have had many different breeds of dogs and there is no breed that comes close to a staffie!!!!!!!
They are the most loyal dogs you will ever find and awesome with kids! I highly recommend this breed to anyone!

We are going to buy a staffie and i am really sad that people still do not understand that like children dogs will do what you teach them! Any dog can be aggressive if it is taught to! We have a friend who has one already and he is sooooo kind to our 6 year old son and plays with great care, and you can see the dog could overpower him but never does as he is well trained!!!!!! My friend had her face chewed as a child by a poodle so are they aggressive or is it the owners fault!!!! We need to take responsability of our animals and respect them as animals.

we recently bought a red staffy pup….hes absolutely perfect, very flighty as are all puppys. whenever we have visitors all he wants to do is lick them to death…he is brilliant with my children age 4 and 10 and also with my neices who are age 3 and 1. he is now 6 month and is getting very strong indeed but still very well trained. would never take him out without a leader though….i agree with julies comment, any dog are capable of causing harm no matter what the breed!! poor staffys get far too much bad press

I am new to this breed.I am going today and getting my first Staffy.I have 4 children that are waiting for me to bring him home.I have done my home work on this breed and he seems to fit our life style.I have read they are the best dog to own.I want a dog that is very gental but will protect me if a stranger comes to the house.

@Elizabeth, Staffy Bulls are very gentle and contrary to myth, aren’t protective! They’re actually often very easy to steal because they’re so personable to everyone (including strangers!). However, the majority of dogs will bark, and that is the *best* defense against intruders. Usually they’ll choose another home to visit!

Where I live in the UK, we meet a few staffies but it is rare that they will not snap or growl at my taller fully male dog. My dog is very submissive and playful. The owners are generally middle class and not at all tough/wannabees. We also have problems with male black labs. Say what you like but I will avoid them as much as possible from my experience as a child with staffies (knocked over/ chased for over a mile) and now as a dog owner. I have met lovely staffies but I don’t want them near my dog.
Also, as with many breeds these days they do not resemble the dogs they used to be. Not so much looking like a bull, but able to run around one. I would ignore all the information about fighting – these were working dogs doing a job on a farm. They could not easily do that looking like they do now.